Alpha's STOLEN Mate (by Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Frost

A

72

I left the pack at dawn, driving through winding forest roads until I reached the place few wolves dared to visit-the Forbidden Sanctum.

From the outside, it appeared to be nothing more than a desolate cave entrance carved into a mountainside, dark and uninviting. But

stepping through that threshold was like entering another world entirely.

The interior opened into a vast greenhouse space, filled with plants of every conceivable variety. Rare herbs hung from ceiling racks,

exotic flowers bloomed in neat rows, and strange fungi grew in carefully controlled environments. The temperature was frigid-like

stepping into perpetual winter-and frost clung to the glass walls despite the lush vegetation thriving within.

I found Lysandra tending to a row of luminescent purple flowers, her snow-white hair cascading over her shoulders as she worked. She looked barely twenty years old, though I knew for a fact that some of the plants surrounding her were older than that. Age worked

differently for witches, especially ones as powerful as her.

“Frost! Frost! Frost!” she sang out without turning around. “I was wondering why the temperature dropped another few degrees. You’re

back again!”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Just came to visit. I know how lonely it gets out here.”

Lysandra laughed and peeled off her gardening gloves. “Alright, what forbidden drug do you need this time? You’re in luck-I’ve just finished crossbreeding some absolutely magnificent specimens!” Her eyes lit up with manic enthusiasm. “I’ve got shapeshifting serums that’ll let you mimic any wolf’s appearance down to their scent signature! Berserker tonics that triple your strength for six hours straight! Memory enhancers, emotion suppressants, even a particularly fun one that makes you temporarily immune to silver poisoning. Oh, and this beauty-* she held up a vial of swirling black liquid, *—allows you to walk in complete silence for up to twelve hours. Perfect for assassinations or sneaking around disapproving alphas!”

I felt my eye twitch. This research maniac has been busy. But my body couldn’t handle being her test subject anymore.

“Actually, I interrupted her sales pitch, “I’m here because I need you to examine the side effects from the last drug I took. I’ve been losing my scent, and I’d like to… find a way to restore it.”

Lysandra’s expression shifted immediately to intense curiosity. “Scent loss? Now that’s intriguing! Most subjects experience other degradations first!”

She approached me quickly, her hands beginning to glow with diagnostic magic. I held still as her power washed over me, probing and analyzing. After several minutes, she released me and stepped back, her face alight with scientific interest.

‘Interesting! Very interesting indeed!” She circled me like a predator studying prey. “The weakness and fatigue you’re experiencing are standard side effects from multiple drug uses. But your scent situation is quite peculiar. Based on my magical assessment, someone who’d taken forbidden drugs as many times as you have should have completely lost one of three things by now-scent, fur, or emotional regulation. And if it was scent that went, it should be entirely gone. You understand that complete scent loss typically results in

1/3

19:09 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 98

transformation into a mindless beast?”

:

72

I shrugged. ‘But I still have some scent. It’s faint-disgustingly faint-but it exists. Maybe I just have a particularly strong constitution.”

‘Don’t flatter yourself,” Lysandra said with amusement. ‘Your constitution has nothing to do with it. What’s saving you is your newly

formed mate bond.”

I felt my heart skip. “What?”

“The bond is counteracting the scent loss,” she explained, gesturing animatedly. “It’s stimulating your body to regenerate what the drugs destroyed. But here’s the problem-your bond isn’t particularly strong. It’s there, but it’s weak, incomplete. Her smile turned knowing. “If you want to fully reverse the side effects, you’ll need to strengthen that bond significantly. Complete the marking ritual properly, if you

catch my meaning.”

Understanding hit me like a physical blow. To restore my scent, I would need to fully mark Scarlett-claim her completely as my mate. But

that was exactly what I’d been desperately trying to avoid.

I couldn’t use saving myself as justification to trap her. That would make me no better than-

“That expression!” Lysandra laughed delightedly. “Exactly what I predicted! Do you know why I enjoy giving you my latest creations, Frost? Why I don’t charge you the exorbitant prices I demand from everyone else?”

“We’re kindred spirits?” I offered weakly.

“No. Because you’re different from other wolves. You don’t really believe in the mate bond the way they do, do you? You’re a free thinker- almost like us witches. Her voice took on a more serious tone. “There’s a faction of my kind who find werewolf customs absolutely ridiculous. The mate bond, the alpha hierarchy, the rigid pack structures—some witches actively despise your species because of these

things.”

I could hear the deeper implications in her words-the suggestion that she might be connected to those who opposed werewolf society.

Lysandra waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t misunderstand me. I have no particular political stance. I’m interested only in research. Whoever needs my products, whoever can provide financial support-they get my latest breakthroughs. Simple business.”

I thought about what Kaius had mentioned yesterday-the magically enhanced wolves, the missing pack members. A suspicion began

forming in my mind.

“How’s business been lately?’ I asked casually.

Lysandra’s smile widened as she gestured to a corner of the greenhouse where several packages sat waiting for shipment. “Better than ever, actually! Demand has been absolutely unprecedented.”

She gave me a knowing look. “But if you’re going to ask for specifics, I’m afraid that’s confidential. Client information is private. Professional ethics, you understand.”

2/3

19:09 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 98

I nodded and thanked her for the examination. As I headed for the exit, I deliberately walked close to that corner, letting my enhanced

vision catch the shipping labels on the packages.

One name made my blood run cold: Matthins Greystone.

ם

One of Kaius’s most loyal and trusted elders. A wolf who’d supported the Alpha King through countless challenges and political struggles.

What the hell is a respected elder doing buying forbidden drugs from a witch?

Comments

♡ 1

Write Comments

<SHARE

3/3

19:09 Wed, Jan 14

Alpha’s STOLEN Mate